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Rock Groups In Search Of Fame Play Name Game NEW YORK—(NEA)— Way back in the pre-rock V roll era, around 1585 or so, Shakespeare, who was to the England of his day what the Beatles are now, wondered, “What’s in a name?” If the Bard had had the opportunity opportunity to hear Cat Mother and the All Night Newsboys, he wouldn’t have asked. Fame, fortune and all the goodies of life await those clever souls who can make with the music and dream up the right names for their groups. Take, for example, the Friends of Distinction, one of the more friendly and distinguished distinguished quartets around. “A clever name won’t replace replace talent,” says Harry Elston, the friendly, distinguished distinguished and talented lead singer with the group, “but it can’t do you any harm.” The Friends, very hot these days with a single and an LP—both titled “Grazin' ” —■started out about a year ago with nothiag but talent, money (former footballer Jim Brown bankrolled the group), good connections and a lot of bookings, but where will those things get you in these days of Blind Faith, the Apple Pie Motherhood Band, Spooky Tooth and Lothar and the Hand People? “We were puzzled,” Elston remembered the other day, smiling the kind of smile one is likely to display after becoming becoming unpuzzled. “We kicked it around and tried to come up with a name that would reflect the kind of image we were trying trying to project. We wanted a friendly name, but something something distinctive—a 1 s o distinguished—which distinguished—which is why we considered the Distinctive Friends. We threw that one out, then went through a few dozen more before we hit on the Friends of Distinction. It" friendly, but it’s also dist nctive.” Even the Mothers of Invention Invention couldn’t argue with that. But, as Harry is quick to point out, “A lot of groups grab names out of a Dag. As long as it’s controversial and/or topical, they’ll go for it.” To check Harry’s theory all you have to do is eyeball the pages of Variety (once the Establishment tool of Tin Pan Alley, but no more) where the rock charts are faithfully unfurled in all their glory. Or, if you’re really with it, check out Rolling Stone, the Bible of the under-30 set. So who has the No. 1 record record these days? Who else? Three Dog Night. But can the Three Dogs afford to goof off? Never. Not with Rotary Connection, Led Zeppelin, Canned Heat, Vanilla Fudge, Iron Butterfly Butterfly and Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band ready to move in. Some names, of course, are so logical that they defy analysis. Like Blood, Sweat and Tears. “Simple,” says Steve Katz, one of the BS&T gang. “We put so much blood, sweat and tears into putting the group together that the name fits perfectly. Thanks to Winston Churchill, of course.” True, but for every Blood, Sweat and Tears there are a few dozen outfits like the Terminal Barbershop, Country Country Joe and the Fish, Savage Rose, the 1910 Fruit Gum Company and, of course, the Who and the Guess Who. Not to mention the old favorites, like the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and regional regional groups like Flash and the Board of Directors, the “in” act in Memphis. The hottest new group around, according to the trade paper folks, is, or in this case was, the Chicago Transit Authority. “The Chicago Transit Authority Authority is no more,” the Columbia Columbia Records public relations relations girl was saving the other day. “They changed their name to Chicago, for a variety of reasons. One of the boys said they u anted to create a new image. With a name like Chicago they figure figure that if you don't like their records they can hit vou over the head with a club.” Which might cause sou to shed a great deal of blood, sweat and tears NEA’s Ifouth Beat THË NATIONAL JtfPOJtT ON WHAT'S HAPPENING “ROAD MAN” IS BIG! Teen girls voting for their favor itc singing sound elected Glen Campbell No. 1 in a recent dircct mail survey. The Supremes were runners-up and the magic of the Beatles kept the old boys in No. 3 spot just ahead of Gary Puckett and Hie Union Gap. Mark Lindsay, Tommy James and the Shondells, the Association Association and Elvis showed up solid on the popularity radar screen. The huge number of “favorites” drawing votes is a clue to the mixed-up state of popular popular music. Almost 200 names were submitted, making the tabulation a nightmarish chore. P. S.: Tiny Tim, Edie Gorme, Jack Jones, Robert Goulet ________________________ and Mama Cass polled exactly the same number of fans ... far, far down the list. Verrry interesting INK'S EVOLUTION First use of ink goes bn<k to ah out 1200 B.C. when the Chinese created what is still referred to as "India Ink.” (It was made to blacken the surfaces of raised hieroglyhtcs. / The art of ink making has reached a new level with the "space pen," a product sporting a pressurized pressurized cartridge guaranteed to write under "weightless" conditions. Will future astronauts carry a lead pencil just in case?

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